VÉRITÉ @ House of Blues

VÉRITÉ

supporting EDEN

April 02, 2018 @ House of Blues

Photos and Review By: Jasmine Chan

On that Monday night, The House of Blues was filled with college kids and everything was dark except a glowing sign that read “VÉRITÉ”- a stage name that translates to “truth” in French. Eventually, Kelsey Byrne, the singer/songwriter behind the name, took the stage, accompanied by only a drummer and synth/bass player.

The moody indie-pop singer, performed songs mostly from her debut studio album, Somewhere in Between, and her popular cover of the 1975’s ‘Somebody Else’ that has reached almost 90 million streams on Spotify. I discovered VÉRITÉ from said cover this past summer, and have not stopped listening to it since. As a fan of the original song, Byrne’s version diverges in all the right places and bring a different depth and mood to the heartbreak narrative with a harder rock sound paired with smooth, but less dreamy vocals. I was excited to see it performed live, however, I’ve come to the conclusion that I prefer the studio version for the fuller sound and provocative quality I wasn’t quite getting live. I guess it will be reserved for my own personal performance that is scream-singing along to it while in the shower with an ex in mind.

Byrne’s performance style is very simple, but in a way that showcases her talent as a true vocalist. Her incredible vocal range and control was on full display, most notably during ‘Phase Me Out,’ where she hit every riff and falsetto flawlessly. Brooding synth-pop is not a rare commodity in music today, but an artist of this genre that can truly sing live without all the bells and whistles of production is something special.

Byrne is a woman of few words and moved efficiently through her set without stopping to tell a tour story or chat about the weather. She closed with ‘Underdressed,’ and that addictive melody is still stuck in my head as I am writing this. Before I knew it, EDEN was on and I only stayed for the first couple of songs. All in all, VÉRITÉ wasn’t a life changing act, but I enjoyed the talent and music she shared with us, so it was a pretty solid Monday night.